I couldn't help but notice the handle clutched in my cramping hand
was very distracting, and kept my focus more on my favorite past
time than it did on the tedious and tiring job of painting the
garage. As I waved the paint-dipped wand back and forth in front
of my spattered face, I visualized the handle fitted with glass
eyes, screw eyes, and treble hooks.... zig-zagging back and forth
through a blue-green pool of a North woods lake and about to be
inhaled by one of the giant Pike or Muskies that were known to
inhabit that region of the upper Midwest.

The more I looked at that handle, the more I could easily
recognize the similar shapes of some of my own name-brand tackle...legendary
lures by Rebel, Rapala, and more. The vision was
so compelling that I couldn't wait to get into my carving shop
to turn that handle into something more productive.....a custom,
homemade fishing lure!

Needless to say,
all of a sudden, I couldn't wear that brush out fast enough. And
when they won't wear out fast enough, once can simply "forget"
to clean the paint out to render it almost completely worthless
just over night. (At least bad enough to justify to the little
woman the need for a replacement.) Over the years, I have bought
more than a few NEW brushes, but have thrown away practically
none. Not only have I shopped for new brushes based more on their
aqua-dynamics rather than on the quality of their bristles, but
I have also gone to swap-meets and garage sales hoping to find
someone else's worn out (or not) paint brushes as well. Some of
them, I consider to be great discoveries. (I recently discovered
a 5 pack of new brushes with very suitable shapes for less than
$4.00 at Wal-Mart.)

You will notice almost all of the quality brushes on the
market today are made from only two or three materials; hardwood,
plastic, or some other synthetic composites. (Just like most of
the good fishing lures, right?) Not only do these materials work
well for making lures, but they also respond well to the variety
of carving power tools that I normally use in my shop for carving
wooden fish. Because the handles are already fish shaped, modification
into lures usually only means cutting off the bristle end at the
narrow waist of the handle and rounding off the end at the cut
off point.

Because of the density of the material
of which most handles are made, it easily takes and securely holds
the eye screws I insert, which become the attachment points for
split rings, treble hooks, or the snap swivel on my steel leader.
I can also add different sizes and shapes of plastic or metal
"lips" to the lure, which I can buy from the many online
tackle component companies listed in the back of my favorite fishing
magazines. Larger tackle shops and mail-order companies also carry
a large assortment of parts and pieces for making new tackle or
repairing the old. Consider adding rattles, flashers, holographic
decals, buck-tailed, feathered, and rubber-skirted treble hooks,
etc. to give your lure more attractive action and eye-catching
appeal.

Another convenience of the commercial handles is a ready-made
eye socket already in place. The "hang-up" hole for
keeping the brushes hanging on your peg-board shop wall makes
an ideal place to epoxy glass eyes (inexpensive red or yellow
are my preferences) which can be purchased from the same taxidermy
supply company from whom you purchase your airbrush paints and
other wildlife art supplies. Less expensive and less durable eyes
made of plastic can also be found in your local craft stores,
but in red, yellow, and also clear to paint in colors of your
own choosing. (Note: If you use the glass eyes, you can
install them before painting, and then paint right over the glass
which easily scrapes clean with an Exacto knife blade. However,
the more easily scratched and damaged plastic eyes should ONLY
be installed after the lure has been completely painted and clear
coated.)

When painting the handles, I can utilize
all of the tricks of the trade for painting fish carvings. Because
I paint fish carvings almost exclusively with an airbrush, I can
make stencils for spot patterns, use crinoline mesh to create
scales, and use a variety of airbrush-applied pearl-essence, fluorescent,
iridescent, metalics, flip-flop colors, and so on to make the
lure look as fishy (or not) as I desire. What's more, I can apply
the same aerosol clear finishes used on my fish carvings to clear
coat the finished lure.

To handle the lure during the painting process without
smudging the wet paint, I use the same forceps that I would keep
in my tackle box for removing fish hooks from deeply hooked fish.
The long-nosed medical tools make handy holders for hanging the
wet painted lures up to dry by looping a finger hole over a nail
head, wire, etc. so nothing touches the paint during the curing
process.

When the lure has "cured" for a couple of days
or so, I attach the treble hooks where needed with split rings,
and then take the lure for a swim. Sometimes it will be necessary
to to move a belly hook or nose eye forward or backward to get
the best action. Trial and error testing will determine where
to put the lip, and what shape and size of lip works best to reach
the depths you prefer. Still other lips will cause the lure to
vibrate and tremble with more or less action, depending on the
lip's angle and design. And the most variation you can get WITHOUT
adding lips to the lure is by changing the location of the eye
screw where you tie to lure to your line or leader. (Notice the
lure in the pictures is made to troll frontwards or backwards
and has an appropriate tie-on point at both ends.)

Trial and error is the only way I know to find the best
location for the eye screws and hooks, but look at some of your
commercially made tackle to get ideas about where to start. Swimming
the "handle-lure" will help you decide which way to
move an eye. Be sure when you predrill a small hole to thread
the screw eyes into your lure that the hole is as close to center
as you can make it. Otherwise, your lure will track to one side
or the other, or roll over on its side, twisting your line as
it goes around. Sometimes, it will be necessary to twist the eye
of the screw slightly left or right to get the lure to track perfectly
straight behind the line. But once you have a lure fine tuned
and running true, LOOK OUT!

One lure I made from a large wooden
paintbrush handle from Sears had so much action that just reeling
it in was fun. In the rod holder, the rod dipped and plunged under
the action and erratic zig-zagging of the plug, giving the false
impression that there was a "Fish On!" One of my taxidermy
school employees and I were trolling it across the largest of
Northwest Iowa's Great Lakes, (Big Spirit) when I lost it.....and
to what, we will never know. But after the short time I was tied
to that fish, I realized that I would make another lure as close
to it as possible, and then I would come back. I have made a few
dozen of the paint brush lures since then, but I have never again
hooked into the likes of that great fish. But just the ever exciting
memory of that moment keeps me trying.

Today, in Colorado, I find myself painting my son's office.
And again, I find myself contemplating the handle on another almost
worn out wig-wagging old paintbrush....only to rediscover my mind
and wayward imagination once more wandering and wondering.....about
"getting a handle on homemade lures." By the way, you
aren't planning on throwing away any of those old paint brushes
out there in the garage, are you??? ;o)

Dan Blair is considered by many to be one of the true pioneers
of fish carving. With over 40 years as a professional carver/artist,
he has been honored with awards numbering in the hundreds and
has taken no less than 19 Best Of Show wins for wildlife
and western art.

He is a former associate editor of Breakthrough
Magazine and assisted in co-producing three Breakthrough
Books. He was the show manager and a judge for the 1987 World
Fish Carving and World Taxidermy Championships, and was
a seminar instructor for the 2005 World Fish Carving Championships. A
reptile group "wood carving" Dan entered in
the World Taxidermy Championships took second place.

Dan is currently an owner/moderator for the
largest fishcarving group on the Internet, Fishcarving2
(Click HERE
for more information.) He continues to judge shows and teach
woodcarving classes across the continent.